The Federal Government is set to arraign prominent legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday, January 26, over alleged fraud involving a property in London, United Kingdom.
According to a hearing notice sighted by journalists on Wednesday, the arraignment is scheduled to hold in Courtroom 4 at 9:00 a.m., barring any last-minute changes.
Ozekhome is listed as the sole defendant in the case, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the plaintiff. The prosecution will be led by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The hearing notice states that the case “will be transferred from the general cause list to the hearing paper for Monday, the 26th day of January, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.”
It further advises that any party seeking to postpone the hearing must apply to the court promptly and provide supporting evidence if the application is fact-based. Parties wishing to enforce witness attendance are also required to give reasonable notice.
The senior lawyer faces three counts in the charge filed by the ICPC on January 16.
The first count alleges that in August 2021 in London, Ozekhome directly received House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, purportedly given to him by one Mr. Shani Tali, knowing the act constituted a felony. This is contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count alleges that while acting as a legal practitioner and SAN, Ozekhome created a false Nigerian passport (No. A07535463) bearing Mr. Shani Tali’s name in August 2021 to support a fraudulent claim of ownership of the property at 79 Randall Avenue. This is contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code, Laws of the FCT, Abuja.
The third count alleges that Ozekhome dishonestly used the same false passport to substantiate the ownership claim, knowing the document was false, contrary to Section 366 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code.
The case stems from a petition submitted to the ICPC by Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj, head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda.
The petition referenced a British court judgment that accused Ozekhome and others of conspiring with corrupt Nigerian officials to procure fake national identity documents to “fraudulently claim ownership” of a property in North London.
The ICPC stated that it launched an investigation after a London property tribunal issued a judgment implicating Ozekhome and others in a web of fraud and forged documents.
Chief Ozekhome is one of Nigeria’s most prominent constitutional lawyers and has represented several high-profile clients in politically sensitive cases.
